Magi – 13

Ho boy, so much action action action, with a good dash of Mor on the plate! Magi has returned in full stride, with the Balbadd Arc revving up for its undoubtedly epic conclusion.

But alas, before we hit the actual episode, there is one thing to address. With new beginnings come new openings and endings, which Porno Graffitti and supercell have come to provide! While I did enjoy the first OP by SID, Nogizaka46′s song went against the tone of the show with its overly cheery and sweet song. The new additions have thankfully repaired that, although to differing levels of success. Porno Graffitti did a good job replacing the OP with the same sort of tone, but as for supercell’s performance…it was a little weird. I haven’t a clue whether or not this was due to bad cuts or just the song, but the ending definitely feels like it lacks direction, adding onto the fact that the ED animation didn’t improve. It does have a more appropriate tone for the show, but it definitely isn’t one of supercell’s better songs. The OP animation though…well done, especially with Morgiana doing her dance! As well as being nicely animated, the OP indicates the material that the anime will cover goes beyond Balbadd, hinting we can get a glimpse of Sindria! Overall, it’s been an improvement and a welcome addition for the next set of episodes.

As for the actual episode…I was mighty pleased with how much workthey put intothe action scenes. While Ali Baba may still grit on my nerves for being a little too whiny (though that’s the point), the way that he finally prevails with his djinn equip and fight off the guards made me pleased both in the visual and storyline department. While a dagger may be fancy to wield for speed, not much can rival the epic feel of striking down your enemies with a long sword. The animators didn’t slack off in creating an appropriate tone for fighting colossal monsters, with each and every explosion and strike filled with energy. Morgiana’s scene especially impressed with the way her speed was portrayed–on one hand we see the growth of her skills, but on the surface we get to see more of the Fanalis fighting attitude, something I’m growing to look forward to more and more as Magi progresses. While Ali Baba and Aladdin may be the central characters of the show, I think it’s safe to assume Morgiana will have a fanbase that rivals the two with her graceful and humble brutality.

Aside from the action though, the drama and politics that are about to unfold will be just as epic. At this point, I think everyone here (with exception of Banker) is clearly pissed at Ahbmad, where his face yells “HATE ME!” Perhaps no one but the forces of evil are able to sympathize with him at this point, brother and fiance included.

Kougyouku will definitely have a surprise waiting for her when she meets her betrothed, probably not to positive reception, yet probably saved in time by the lovely Sinbad–his charms will most likely bring her to the winning side, as the OP indicates.

Sahbmad, though the mouse that he is, also has had enough and shines in his defining heroic moment as he uses his powers for once to stop an injustice. The victory of the downtrodden over the oppressive is always a welcome sight, where every defiant moment against Abhmad makes us scream “YES!” in our hearts.

However the worst is yet to come. Kassim still hasn’t reared his head again, indicating a major thorn in Alibaba’s plans in the future. Sinbad’s forces still have not arrived, though with their arrival means a large battle is undoubtedly coming, even though Sinbad meant for them to be used as diplomatic leverage. It is increasingly likely that Aladdin and Judal will recover approximately at the same time, though the troubles that Judal brings heavily outweigh the hopes Aladdin will.

While this may mark the halfway point for the season, the climax for the arc is deathly close. I expect the action to only ramp up from here, where the animators will show off the best fights this Magi’s season has to offer. It’s been a good start from halfway: here’s to hoping that it gets better from here!

I loved this episode! Finally, the wimpy Alibaba realizes that he needs to see things in a big light, and finds his own worth (though not completely, there’s still areas he needs to develop). Both him and Morgana appear to be young and inexperienced in the area of battle, but they’ve yet to learn. His sword is epic! but damm, Morgana was also epic, I loved her so much in this episode.

Ahmbad should -_- go eat a watermelon and choke on it!!!!! That’s how much I dislike that fatso *raises fist*.. I’m glad that Sahmbad had finally taken the stand, finally! I think, the elephant guy, kind of slipped that he is a ‘result of an experiment’, so the Kou empire has been doing some labratory researches? That’s… nasty, I want to know more.

This episode was amazing, I loved every bit of it. Alibaba’s fighting scenes was epic, and I’m glad he’s improving, I was starting to lose hope!

Thanks for the review. I liked this episode so much. They didn’t dissapoint my two weeks wait :) I was starting to get nervous!

Indeed, I also think this anime would be better off as a long running anime, the potential material this has currently gathered can’t be covered in a mere 24-26 episodes.
Btw, Morgiana’s dance in the OP was quiet beautiful, but it seemed out of character for the current version of Morgiana.

Nowhere near, I’m more worried about the anime stopping before it catches up.
Also for trivia, The World God Only Knows has enough plot to last 4 seasons more easily at its current pace of 4 girls per season with gag episodes.

Looks to be a fairly complex cast of characters introduced in the new INTRO/OUTRO sequences – can’t
wait to see ‘em.

Very good episode – we have two powers out recovering (Aladdin and Judal, but three if you count Ugo) and
note to myself –
⇒ don’t
piss
off
Morgiana,
this episode was strong with great action with Alibaba and Morgiana.

Morgiana will have a fanbase that rivals the two with her graceful and humble brutality.

What a great description of Morgiana!

I’m looking forward to the return of Aladdin (and Ugo) and I have a feeling thatShow Spoiler ▼

the group will head out to sea with Sinbad leaving Sabhmad in charge of the coup,

Fantastic episode, almost like they are making up for the hiatus, “Here have some explosive action and some epic moments” .. thank you XD

Once again Alibaba proves he can get things done when he puts his heart into it and stops thinking too much (like he did in the end of ep1 when he save Mor) and again Aladdin plays a role in boosting Alibaba’s resolve despite being unconscious (i wonder if what we saw -Aladdin’s clothes floating- means he was actually using the Rukh and trying to communicate with Ali Baba), Ali baba’s fights with Giga-elehpant guy and Mr.Cheetah were awesome (loved how he used the oil to create fire in order to absorb it and turn it into Magoi energy .. the clever thing the writer/director did is that this isn’t the first time we actually saw this happen, Kougyoku did before with her water Djinn equip but they didn’t explain it back then .. clever foreshadowing i say).

Mor’s fight was pretty awesome too, good to see that she now has some another Fanalis not just to feel learnedly with as one of her people but also to learn from in order to improve her fighting style (i suppose we can say there might be a mentor/student relation coming between the two .. but that’s as far as it will go, we know Mor’s heart is with Ali Baba .. as in the original 1001 Arabian Nights book).

Some other things to note, the Elephant guy turned out to be a human who was experimented on by the Kou and turned into a monster (same with the Cheetah and Monkey guys), but the small monster monkeys seem to be from the Towers .. which probably means they extracted something from the Tower monsters (Magoi, blood .. etc) and injected/implanted it into humans to turn them into hybrid monsters .. wonder if that will factor in future arcs or not .. but at least it shows the Kou emperor is really morally ambiguous and doesn’t care what he does to reach his goals.

Also .. from the OP and ED, Dancer Mor was freaking hot and cute .. Sinbad looks damn Badass with his full Djinn equip (he got fish-like armor), also the weapons dealer has other allies and is probably another Magi different from Aladdin and Judal (and there was a creepy shot with numerous ‘bankers’ standing in circles .. that was weird XD).. the OP is actually full of too many interesting hints at future events it would require an analysis on its own (at least for those who don’t read the manga).

Few things to add.
-I suppose Aladdin with heal much faster then Judal, he was only exhausted and saddened what happened when Ugo went berserk and by the loss of Ugo’s mark from his flute, on the other hand Judal had every bone in his body broken .. healing that and getting back in fighting shape could take a lot of time even with healing magic (which doesn’t seem to be that powerful .. i.e it doesn’t heal injuries instantly or anything like that).

-The moment when Sabhmad stood against Ahbmad was pretty touching and heart-warming .. he should have done that earlier but late is better than never, interesting character development i have to say (although i wished he went the extra mile, slapped Ahbmad on his bubbly face and threw him off the throne down the staircase .. but maybe i was wishing for too much from Sabhmad, he still did well XD)

“(loved how he used the oil to create fire in order to absorb it and turn it into Magoi energy .. the clever thing the writer/director did is that this isn’t the first time we actually saw this happen, Kougyoku did before with her water Djinn equip but they didn’t explain it back then .. clever foreshadowing i say). ”

I might be being too technical here, but Kougyoku’s Djinn element is water so she can gain Magoi by absorbing water, Alibaba’s Djinn element is fire so he can gain Magoi by absorbing fire and Hakuei’s Djinn element is wind so she can gain Magoi by absorbing wind?(shouldn’t she have near infinite amount of Magoi then?)
Just curious, any thoughts?

I suppose absorbing wind is different from absorbing air, a wind Djinn item would require “wind” to absorb .. not just still air .. think of it like a ship with a sail .. if there is wind it works .. if the air is still .. it just doesn’t work.

So while she might be almost invincible if there is a storm or a tornado nearby, in place with no strong wind she really has limited power … same with Kougyoku (who would have infinite supply of energy if she is near a river or the sea) and Ali Baba too (if he is near a volcano or a big fire .. i.e like when the palace was burned by Kassim).

I like the new ED, the new OP is good, but the previous one by SID felt better. The experiment beast look so bad today compared to last time. So from what I gathered, there will be a coup again soon? After this current coup, Kassim gonna start another one?
So looking forward to Sinbad(Lady Killer of the 7 seas) interaction with Kougyoku(Princess that want to experience love)… Thought I gonna see it this episode, but hey at least this episode is good.

Man, the OP changed way too early. Couldn’t they at least have waited until Balbadd arc was over to show half the stuff that is to come?
Morgiana’s lovely dancing in sexy dress was supposed to be a big ‘wow’ scene too. (Well, at least to me it was) >_<

First about the new OP and ED, they provoked a mixed bag of emotions. Starting with the OP:
- damn what that little midget Aladdin can get away with rubbing his face into Yamuraiha’s “useless meat” like that. So jelly…
- Kougyouku being jealous of all the ladies fawning over Sinbad was funny and I’ve always liked that side of her character instead of the ruthless warrior side we first saw.
- Morgiana’s dancing being animated and that wonderful smile…so nice. She needs to smile more.
- Anyone else get a Full Metal Alchemist vibe from this OP? I know Porno Graffitti has done a lot of those OPs but the animation also felt similar.

The ED has me the most concerned that can only be addressed in a spoiler tag.Show Spoiler ▼

- Hakuryuu’s wooden arm suggests we’ll get through the Zagan dungeon arc which is past 100 chapters. That is an amazing pace for 24 episodes which creates some worry on how they will end this show.

I liked how the anime expanded Morgiana’s fight, showing her adapt Masrur’s fighting style to her own needs. She is still young and doesn’t have Masrur’s strength but is still able to come up with an alternative that capitalizes on her size and speed. The preview suggests the coup succeeds because Kougyouku asks who she will marry if you take it that she is asking who is going to be the next king. I think she wouldn’t do too bad for insisting on Alibaba!Show Spoiler ▼

The two share a common history and become friends much later. She also admits that her love for Sinbad will always be one-sided so if Alibaba comes to her rescue (which is very possible because of Zepar) she may develop feelings for him. I would love to see Kougyouku and Alibaba getting closer if only to see more pouting Morgiana! She’s so cute when she pouts…

Alibaba’s fight with the swordtiger…guy….thingy oh whatever got shortened (at the very least some dialogue was missing) while Morgiana was actually shown going full speed though the manga only showed her getting serious and then cut to her having already won.

More Mor is always good so keep it up ^_^

I personally hope they just do 2 cours and then wait awhile so they can keep the anime filler free. It would also put less strain on the animation budget this way (my main beef with Fairy Tail for example is that while an awesome show, it could be even better if they better animated the fights).

Hmm seems with the new OP they may try to end it right before pirate arc?

This is a difficult situation, since the manga is quite far ahead, yet the pace they are adapting would not make this work as a long running show. It would only take them 40-50 eps to catch the manga :-(

Yes, let the popularity grow, I want the Big 3 Treatment of Magi, meaning 600 plus episodes just like Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece.

Even though Magi isn’t really that long.Fairy Tail’s anime was disappointing with how they changed stuff from the source material like adding magic rings (seriously), but Magi’s is right on point, keep it up!

Mediocre animation – I don’t notice a huge drop throughout the show. You’re also making a snap judgement based on one episode. Morgiana’s fight in particular was very well done especially for an original scene.

Generic plot – what part is generic? Please explain. I’ve read the manga so I may have more foresight in this matter. Also, this a shonen show so what did you expect?

Annoying protagonist – are you complaining about Alibaba’s uncertainty with himself that makes him appear whiny or that he is moving beyond it and finding his own strength?

He is not only the most overpowered character in recent memory, his whole crew (he doesn’t have enough to make a harem) is waaay up there. Oh he is also a King, head of an alliance, has more djinn than anyone else, two types of rukh, etc etc.